Electronics devices, such as desktop computers, tower computers, servers, tablet computers, notebook computers and other similar devices utilize various methods and apparatus to reduce thermal build-up, or the accumulation of waste heat, within their chassis. These apparatus sometimes include a cooling apparatus, such as a fan, to circulate air within the chassis and/or exchange air inside the chassis with air external to the chassis to help reduce thermal build-up. However, the cooling apparatus, such as fans, can create problems of their own. These problems include, for example, noise, vibration, increased power consumption, and an increased failure rate due to the fact that these devices have moving parts.
Previously, when some electronic components of an electronic device have reached a predetermined temperature, the cooling apparatus of those devices have been set to operate at a maximum operating level or rate in order to produce the maximum cooling capacity of the apparatus. Some electronic components have integrated temperature sensors that are used to determine or sense the operating temperature of that component. Furthermore, some electronic components, such as microprocessors, also have a programmed value that is integrated into the component, and that value indicates at what temperature of the component maximum cooling is needed to be applied to component, either through a cooling apparatus dedicated to the component, or the cooling apparatus directed to cooling the overall electronic device. The component may also include an offset value to the specified temperature at which maximum cooling for the component is needed. This integrated programmed offset value, which is sometimes called the Temperature Control Offset value, may be set for the particular individual component by the manufacturer of the component during the manufacture of the component, after the value has been determined for the operational characteristics of that component. Thus, for example, one manufactured processor may have a hot spot that requires maximum operation of the cooling apparatus at one temperature of the component; while a second manufactured processor of the same type may not have that hot spot and may be operated at a higher temperature of the component before requiring maximum operation of the cooling apparatus.
This approach accounts for variations in the manufacturing process of the component, but it does not compensate or take into consideration variations in the electronic device into which the electronic component is incorporated, such as an information handling system, and these variations in the system may affect the need for cooling apparatus operation with respect to the electronic component. For example, one manufacturer of information handling systems may design a system that has relatively larger heat sinks and/or more effective or higher capacity fans, and thus the cooling apparatus of that system may be better able to cool the electronic component, and therefore, may not need to operate at a maximum cooling level until the component reaches a higher temperature. Conversely, another system manufacturer may utilize relatively smaller heat sinks and/or relatively lower capacity fans, and thus the cooling apparatus for that system may need to operate at a maximum cooling level at a relatively lower temperature of the component. Unfortunately, using the current approaches, there is no way to compensate or adjust for the enhanced cooling capacity of systems employing better designed or more capable cooling apparatus. For example, if the cooling apparatus employs a fan that produces a relatively larger than expected air flow, then the maximum operation speed of the fan may not be required when the component reaches its maximum operating temperature, and only a fraction of the maximum operation speed may be sufficient.
Therefore, it would be desirable to be able to control the cooling system in a manner that would take into account not only the individual cooling characteristics of the component, but also the individual cooling characteristics of a system, which may permit the cooling apparatus to delay maximum cooling level operation of the cooling apparatus until a higher temperature is detected in the component, thereby decreasing noise produced by the cooling apparatus, saving power consumed by the cooling apparatus, and improving the reliability and longevity of components of the cooling system.